Anyone altering feed due to the weather?

Ben2684

Ben2684

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I have a big ISH gelding and he looks in good form. However fields are pretty much dirt and despite the fact his is in during the day and getting decent haylage at night he is out in a large field but conditions are so bad they have started stripping bark from trees!

I’m worried about his fibre intake during the time he is out, has anyone altered their feed routines based on this balmy weather?

Was thinking a mash or high fibre cubes?
 
Unless he's losing condition the haylage should give him enough nutrition/ fibre. They may well be stripping bark because of their grazing instinct rather than a need for more fibre. They get more fibre in hay/haylage than bucket feed anyway.

I've altered mine because the sugar content in the grass is so high. One is on a small bare-ish patch. The other two are off grass and on hay until they get rid of their bellies. This weather has turned everything upside down.
 
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Ben2684 said:
I have a big ISH gelding and he looks in good form. However fields are pretty much dirt and despite the fact his is in during the day and getting decent haylage at night he is out in a large field but conditions are so bad they have started stripping bark from trees!

I’m worried about his fibre intake during the time he is out, has anyone altered their feed routines based on this balmy weather?

Was thinking a mash or high fibre cubes?
Click to expand...

Our field looks a bit sparse - plenty of ground coverage but nothing juicy - I feed Speedi Beet in addition to cool cubes - if I give too much in a feed atm madam leaves it unlike during the winter when she wolfs it down so that tells me she is full which is reassuring!
 
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I’ve changed to a cup of Speedi-beet and a couple of handfuls of oat chaff instead of a cup of nuts and chaff so that I can get his joint and other supplements down him. He’d pick out the nuts and leave the chaff. He doesn’t really need the calories though. He has a tiny overnight soaked haynet also.

He’s still got plenty of grass in his current paddock that he’s out overnight in so isn’t very hungry.
 
I have started to give my loan mini Shetland a tiny complete fibre feed with added salt because he was exhibiting some strange behaviours like licking my horse's hoof oil off.
 
I've upped the salt a bit and added a handful of micronised linseed, which I normally only feed in winter. I'm also going to start putting out just a small amount of high fibre haylage if this weather continues as the fat paddock is down to nothing and I'm not convinced it's that good for her teeth.
 
I tweak their feed all the time depending on conditions. I was putting hay out in the field when our fields were very brown and dry, but I've stopped for now as we've had a little rain and the fields have greened up a bit. I agree with NB, trying to eat bare pasture is not good for teeth.

Also, having their bark stripped chewed will not be doing the trees any good, let alone the horses :eek3:. Can they be fenced off?
 
Mine are getting the same feed - Pink Mash - but made very sloppy and with extra salt. All still in work and maintaining weight on dry, sparse grazing and have enough energy. Old boy has bad teeth so adding grass nuts to him and he gets a bit of hay overnight as he struggles with short grass, however that's not heat related.
 
We are putting hay out three times per day, (horses are out 24/7), we would prefer to use haylage but supplier has run out and we are having to feed this year's hay. Normally we would only put forage out once per day but even the field that hasn't had horses on since last November has hardly any grass. They do get a small bucket feed of Agrobs Wiesencobs with salt and linseed oil but that hasn't changed.
 
We have no grass. Zilch. My PSSM mare is feeling fantastic and bouncing around like she's on a tonne of oats.

I do want rain because the ground is so hard, but I hadn't realised how much a little grass affected her until there wasn't any.
 
I'm making his feed wetter than usual and I've got him on winter rations of vitamin e as hes not getting much grass. I'm haying in the field as well as its a barren dust bath. On one side its lots of long grass so he gets a strip of that every day as well.
 
Putting haylage out here too. Plus salt in feeds. It's a barren dustland at the moment - no rain at all for months - so there's no way I'd leave them out without forage going in multiple times a day.
 
I've added in a half measure of electrolytes as mine are in decent work and do sweat a fair bit.

Although it resembles hay mine both have plenty of grass. We're on sandy soil so if they were on bare fields I would be feeding something in case of sand colic etc.

Please can it rain overnight every night for a few weeks!!!
 
My ponies are hay fed all year round as they are on restricted so no different for them really except they have a much bigger area than usual, others are having a slab of hay each am and pm . I must say even though there looks to be zero grass mine are looking pretty well and are still pooping as much
 
I have added salt to the feed, otherwise no. He's a very good doer and we have plenty of grass still amongst the weeds.
 
Ben2684 said:
I have a big ISH gelding and he looks in good form. However fields are pretty much dirt and despite the fact his is in during the day and getting decent haylage at night he is out in a large field but conditions are so bad they have started stripping bark from trees!

I’m worried about his fibre intake during the time he is out, has anyone altered their feed routines based on this balmy weather?

Was thinking a mash or high fibre cubes?
Click to expand...
The only thing I have done is cut their feed down to bare minimum fibergy Mare 3/4 scoop and gelding 1/2 scoop
 
My boys field has nothing in it, and they have been having hay for weeks. Today I let them have the weed patch, to see if there was anything they liked the look of. Seems that weeds are WAY more interesting then expensive hay!

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I have reduced both the bucket feeds (tiny anyway - and just straw chaff for the fatty) and the quantity of last year's second-cut haylage, as all of mine are getting fatter. The spotty beast is HUGE.

The are out on dry, stalky meadow grass and various weeds, getting a small strip of fresh (ha!) a day, the rest is dust. The only green stuff growing at the moment is plantain.

What the hell are they getting fat on?!
 
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